Josue 22:10

Nova Vulgata

Cumque venissent ad circulos Iordanis in terra Chanaan, aedificaverunt iuxta Iordanem altare ingens aspectu.

Parallel Translations

Clementine Latin Vulgate (1592)
Non arabis in bove simul et asino.

Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405)
Cumque venissent ad tumulos Jordanis in terram Chanaan, �dificaverunt juxta Jordanem altare infinit� magnitudinis.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the children: This verse should probably be rendered, "And when they came to the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, Then built an altar by (or beyond, al) Jordan, a great altar to the view." It would appear, that when they came to the river, they formed the purpose of building the altar; and when they crossed it they put that purpose into execution. It is evident that they did not build it west of the Jordan, for that was not in their territories, and the next verse expressly says that it was built over against the land of Canaan.

built: Joshua 22:25-28, Joshua 4:5-9, Joshua 24:26, Joshua 24:27, Genesis 28:18, Genesis 31:46-52

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:27 - a witness Judges 6:24 - built Isaiah 19:19 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that [are] in the land of Canaan,.... To the banks of it, or the sand heaps, some take the word to signify, which were thrown up to restrain the waters from overflowing; some by Geliloth understand a place so called; and Jerom g says it was near Jordan in the tribe of Benjamin: but rather the word signifies the meanders, windings, and turnings, of the river h; and such circuits and compasses it fetched near Jericho, as the same writer i observes, where we may suppose these tribes went over, and at a place where the river jetted out into the land of Canaan:

the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, built there an altar by Jordan; or "then"; that is, when they had passed over the river into their own country, for which Josephus is express k; and certain it is, that the altar was built not on the Canaan side of Jordan, but on the opposite side, as is clear from Joshua 22:11: and indeed they had no right to build on any other ground than their own; and they pitched upon a spot where the river jetted out into the land of Canaan, as most proper to erect it on, to be a witness, that though separated from the rest of the Israelites by the river Jordan, yet were a part of them, and had a right to join them in the service of God, and bring their sacrifices to the altar of God in the tabernacle, as more fully appears in some after verses:

a great altar to see to; built up very high, so that it might be seen at a great distance.

g De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C. h Vid. Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 170, 573. Reland. Palestin. Illustrat. tom. 1. l. 1. c. 43. p. 274, 279. i Ut supra, (De loc. Heb. fol. 92.) G. k Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 26.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The two tribes and a half erected this altar in order to keep alive their claim to have the same interest as the other tribes had in the sanctuary of God, which was established on the west side of Jordan: and in order to forestall any assertion that the Jordan itself was a natural barrier of exclusion between them and the sanctuary, they built it on the west or Canaanite bank of the Jordan and not on the east.

The word rendered “borders” is noteworthy; it means circuits, arrondissements.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 22:10. The borders of Jordan, that are in - Canaan — This verse can never mean that they built the altar on the west side of Jordan, for this was not in their territories; nor could it be a place for the purpose of public worship to their own people, if built on the opposite side of Jordan; besides, the next verse says it was built over against the land of Canaan. It appears that when they came to the river they formed the purpose of building the altar; and when they had crossed it they executed their purpose.

A great altar to see to. — A vast mass of earth, stones, &c., elevated to a great height, to serve as a memorial of the transactions that had already taken place. Probably it was intended also to serve as a kind of watchtower, being of a stupendous height, altare infinitae magnitudinis, an altar of an immense size, as the Vulgate terms it.